A 27 year old Terrebonne, Oregon man was seriously injured after he slipped on rocks at Cline Falls and fell approximately 25 feet, surfacing in the water below.

At about 5 pm Sunday, June 25th, Nicholas James Cole and a friend were attempting to push a log down the Deschutes River and over the falls when the accident occurred.

Approximately 20 volunteers of the Mountain Rescue and Swift Water Teams responded along with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sgt. Dan Swearingen. Although Cole was reported to be unconscious and having trouble breathing when the 911 call was made, he was conscious when units arrived on the scene.

Due to the location of the injured person, the rescuers had to set up a rope system before retrieving Cole from the rocks below in a stokes litter, hand-carrying him back up the rocks, crossing another part of the river and then up a trail to an awaiting Redmond Ambulance. He was transferred to Air-Life and transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend in serious condition on Sunday evening.